According to the Kentucky State Police, 2005 is the first decline in vehicle fatalities during the same period for previous years since 2001. In 2001, through December 18 819 people had died from a motor vehicle accident. In 2002, that number increased to 885, and in 2003 to 903, and in 2004 to 945. Through the same time period in 2005, five people less had died in a vehicle accident, but that number is still much more than in 2001, or any year listed previous to 2004.
And now the legislature is looking into the possibility of increasing the speed limit on some roads from 55 to 70 miles per hour. And for what reasons can they give for an increase? Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert said he supports the increase, but only if it is tied to a law allowing police officers to pull a driver over merely for not wearing a seatbelt, something police officers currently are not allowed to do. So if you wear your seatbelt, you can drive faster.
This type of thinking, unlike the seatbelt law, is purely illogical, especially considering the increasing fatality rates in Kentucky. While seatbelts can and will save lives if worn, the chances of a belt saving a life diminish as speed increases. So if the law passes as Nighbert says he would support, it's simply trading one dangerous situation for another.
A sad fact of life is that as long as people operate motor vehicles, they will continue to wreck. But it is up to our lawmakers to make laws that make driving safer, not more dangerous. To support a law that allows people to drive faster is not the answer to make more people wear seatbelts. Why not simply pass a law making it acceptable for police officers to pull someone over for not wearing a seatbelt and not raise the speed the limit? Such a law would save lives, and even save on gasoline due to slower driving, and that's something the people probably could live with. Is it so bad that we would want our people to be safe while driving on the public roads?
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